Van Persie hits spot for Wenger

Arsène Wenger has praised his striker Robin van Persie, who has emerged as a possible successor to his fellow Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp at Arsenal.

Van Persie has scored eight goals in as many games after becoming the latest left-winger to be successfully converted to a centre forward by Wenger, whose side are 11 points behind the leaders Chelsea. The striker, accused of rape in his home country, is on bail having spent two weeks in a Rotterdam prison in the summer.

Wenger has turned Thierry Henry into one of the world's best centre forwards after the Frenchman's 1999 transfer from Juventus, where he was a left-winger. Now, with Bergkamp due to end his 10-year stay at Highbury in the summer, Van Persie's resurgence could not be more timely for the Arsenal manager.

Van Persie, 22, is revelling in a more central role this season after signing as a wide man from Feyenoord in August 2004, but Wenger admits he feared for the player's future only a few months ago.

"He is physically stronger now," he said. "Last year he looked weaker physically and had to adapt to the English game. In the second half of the season he was on the way to scoring goals and then he had a second setback with the summer where he was in jail for two weeks and it took him time to recover.

"I was worried for him . . . When you are 20 and adored and the next day you are in confinement for two weeks with a lot of negative publicity, it was a shock to him. He always had a positive attitude with us and a working mentality and that's why I felt, this season, the biggest part is to integrate these players into the first team."

Arsenal have formed a "technical partnership" with the Spanish club Celta Vigo. They already have close links with the Belgian club Beveren and the Ivory Coast academy and the deal with the Primera División club will initially run for three years but could be extended.